Monday, November 18, 2013

Sneak Peek #1 - Holiday Craft Fair Preview

 The Christmas shopping season is here and with it comes the
As you can see from this group of lovely artisans there will be something for everyone on your list!
More to be featured in the days to come but for now here is the first peek...









If you plan on going, make sure you RSVP on Facebook

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Save The Date - CYBER MONDAY


Once again, the team is having an online selling event on Monday December 2nd - Cyber Monday! If you want to continue to support quality handmade shops and enjoy some savings in the process, come back here bright and early with a list of members and their sales.

Plan on joining us? RSVP on Facebook!

Monday, November 11, 2013

Give Back with SEASON OF THANKS

Shaped by its founding location at the United States Military Academy at West Point, STRUCTUREbags is made at West Point and grounded in giving back – to the environment and to those who serve.

This is the basis for our new letter writing and gift campaign – “A Season of Thanks: Your Greetings, Our Gifts.”


All November long, we are collecting letters from Americans saying ‘thank you’ to deployed soldiers and their families. In December, we will sort, bundle and package these heartfelt notes for delivery to a company of about 100 deployed solders – and their families at home.

But we aren’t stopping at letters.

At STRUCTUREbags, we know the sacrifices military families make. So, we are adding our handcrafted Camo Ornament to each package sent to the families waiting the return of their loved-ones. And just like everything in our Camo with a Cause line, STRUCTUREbags will donate $1 to Team Red, White & Blue for every Camo Ornament we send.

But to understand the genesis of this campaign, it is important to understand how a civilian like me could have such a deep connection to military families.

When my husband and I relocated to the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2009, my appreciation for members and families of our military soared. Living on a military post shines light on the sacrifices and commitment of military families: deployments, circumstantial single-parenting, tragedies and volunteerism.

With the birth of our daughter in 2010, the new parenting phase became my focus. In 2011, STRUCTUREbags started as an outlet, semi-ripped from an over-demanding career and looking to make some one-of-a-kind goods for her toddler. Baby Guyader needed some original Army gear!
Gradually, the new-mom fog lifted, and I began to hear and listen to everything happening around me. West Point is many things – historic, picturesque, academically excellent – but most of all it is humbling.

From the story of the tactical officer killed in action who was laid to rest in front of standing room only crowds, to the woman brought to tears after receiving candy on Valentine’s Day from the “deployment angels,” it was clear my previous civilian perspective was grossly naïve.

I created the Camo with a Cause Line to give back to our military and their families. When Team RWB said ‘yes’ to our strategic partnership, it literally brought tears to my eyes.

Our “Season of Thanks” campaign is the next step in our giving: a gift of thanks from our fans to our military, that costs only the time it takes to write a note and the stamp it takes to mail to us.

For full details on how easy it is for you or your group to participate in this giving campaign, please visit STRUCTUREbag’s “Season of Thanks” page. Let’s work together to bring a gift of thanks to our deployed soldiers and their families at home.

Brenda - STRUCTUREbags







Friday, November 8, 2013

Where To Find The Hudson Valley Etsy Team This Weekend

Elena Rosenberg is keeping us on our toes! After a successful 3-day event at Purchase last weekend she moves on over to Connecticut and this weekend she will be exhibiting and selling her hand knit and hand crocheted accessories and jewelry at CraftWestport in Westport, CT, along with over 150 other artisans.  
CraftWestport takes place at Staples High School in Westport and will be open to shoppers Saturday, November 9, 10AM-6PM and Sunday, November 10, 10AM-5PM.
Elena Rosenberg
Elena Rosenberg
Elena Rosenberg
 Happy Shopping!

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Creating Success from the Inside Out: Acknowledge Your Successes

Just the other day when I was browsing my Kindle, I decided to wipe the virtual dust from Jack Canfield's Success Principles and started reading it again.  It's the kind of book you can read over and over or just pick up and read a chapter whenever you have time or inclination.  Each chapter stands alone as a success principle in and of itself.

The chapter I read that really resonated with me has to do with acknowledging your past and present successes, both large and small.  If you're anything like me, you let your inner critic get the best of you sometimes (more often than I would like to admit here!). When the voice inside your head that criticizes you for not getting all those items you made added to Etsy that day or for locking your keys in your car, or for eating that cookie that you didn't need (and then eating 3 more), it can be damaging to your psyche.  After all, we attract to us what we most think about.


Canfield offers several suggestions for kicking the habit of negative thinking about yourself and your actions.  One strategy he recommends that intrigued me is what he calls the "Mirror Exercise".  To do this, you stand in front of a mirror every night for 3 minutes, look yourself in the eye, and appreciate your achievements that day.  By achievements, he's not talking about things like making 10 sales on Etsy or running a marathon, although those would count too!  Rather, he means all of the little things that you do each and every day that make a positive difference in your life and the lives of those you love, work with, and interact with in general.  You could appreciate the fact that you ate a healthy breakfast, that you got your butt to the gym, or even that you told your kids how much you love them.  Whatever you can think of, say it.  Then when you are done, tell yourself, "I love you".


It sounds very corny, I know...  But I am so dying to try this.  Canfield reported that after 40 days of doing this exercise faithfully, he had eradicated all that negative self talk he had previously experienced.  I am going to try this and I hope you try it too!